Fantasy Basketball Forecast: Possible League-Winners and Concerning Injuries

You're reading the latest forecast written by your Action Network Fantasy Basketball League Champion.

We're 'bout it, 'bout it on this side.

Like many of you, it's been an injury-riddled playoffs, including last-minute ones to Cade Cunningham and D'Angelo Russell (who I have in both teams I care about).

But if you've been paying attention to the waiver wire, and hopefully, our weekly notes have helped, you might be in good shape regardless of who is down.

But a lottttt of managers are getting screwed by the beast that is the regular season.

As for your boy, we went 14-4 during the regular season, totaling nearly 2,000 points more than everyone else in the regular season, but we'll save those pleasantries for our recap column coming in early April where we look at guys who were league winners, losers, and all in between.

Let's peek into Week 22.

Four-Game Teams: 

Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Washington Wizards

Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Oklahoma City Thunder
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Utah Jazz

Notes:
The Warriors, Lakers and Thunder don't play on Monday.

Everyone here plays Sunday except the Hawks.

The Nets, Hornets, Bulls, Cavs, Nuggets, Rockets, Clippers, Knicks, 76ers, Spurs, Jazz and Wizards all have a Monday-Wednesday-Friday-Sunday slate.

The Hawks, Nuggets and Kings play all four games at home.

The Mavericks, Warriors and Lakers play all four games on the road.

No one has a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back, but everyone plays on Friday and Sunday except the Hawks.

Three-Game Teams:

Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors

Memphis Grizzlies
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers

Notes:
The Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans and Magic are all off on Monday — the Wolves and Magic don't play until Wednesday.

The Pistons, Pacers, Suns and Blazers don't play after Friday.

Only the Heat, Wolves and Raptors play on Sunday.

Only the Magic have a back-to-back, and that's between Friday and Saturday.

The Celtics, Pistons, Suns and Blazers are on the road all week.

The Pelicans, Magic and Raptors are home all week.

INJURY RADAR

Likely OUT for the Playoffs — Key players injured last week and will be out this week (and likely beyond)

• New Orleans Pelicans: F/C Brandon Ingram (knee bruise)
• Detroit Pistons: F Ausar Thompson (bloodclot)
• Detroit Pistons: F/C Isaiah Stewart (hamstring)

Notes: If you have anyone here, drop them, they won't be back in time for the playoffs.

OUT to start the Week (with a chance to return)

• Atlanta Hawks: G Jalen Johnson (ankle)
• Boston Celtics: G Jrue Holiday (Shoulder)
• Cleveland Cavaliers: G Donovan Mitchell (nose)
• Brooklyn Nets: G Cam Johnson (toe)
• Detroit Pistons: C Jalen Duren (back)
• New York Knicks: F OG Anunoby (elbow)
• Portland Trail Blazers: F Jerami Grant (hamstring)
• Utah Jazz: F Lauri Markkanen (quadrecips)
• Washington Wizards: G Tyus Jones (back)
• Memphis Grizzlies: G/F Vince Williams Jr. (knee)
• Toronto Raptors: G Immanuel Quickley (personal)

Notes: This list is almost entirely considered day-to-day at this point, but there's no telling at this point of the fantasy calendar. Be most worried about Grant, Markkanen, Quickley, Duren and Cunningham because even if and when they return. they won't play every game. Cunningham seems fine, for example, but he played half his four-game slate this past week. 

Players like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, for example, don't qualify for the list since they just sat a game for what really just feels like rest, if we're being honest. But be worried if they miss another.

Anunoby, Mitchell, Holiday, Cunningham, Russell, Markkanen and Duren are worth holding to start the week. 

Return Radar:

He came back Sunday to face the Heat, and he should be well rested due to playing 21 minutes in a 121-84 stomping. 

According to multiple reports, Russ is expected to return on Monday against the Pacers. 

Injury Pivots:

Stream-worthy players on the waiver wire: 

McBride could be a league winner if he continues to log 48 minutes, as he did in the Knicks win over the Nets this past weekend. He needs to be rostered while in the starting lineup — which he has been for three straight games. In those games he's averaging 22 points, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game. More importantly, he's at 46 minutes per contest. He's a marksman from deep when he's logging heavy minutes, and a threat in the stocks department. 

Oh yeah, and four games this week. 

We now have a seven-game sample size of Ellis nearing 29 minutes per contest, starting in five of those. He's near four stocks per game over his last seven and starts primarily because of defense. In a four-game week, he's a worthwhile stream. 

This man just won me a championship in our league. Do not drop him. The Celtics will continue to sit primary guys, and Jrue Holiday is injured. He's a must play when the Celtics are even a little short-handed. He's at about 18-8-4 in his last five, including just two starts, but 35 minutes per game regardless. 

As long as Jalen Duren is out, Wiseman is streamable. The Pistons have four games this week, and I'd set Duren at +2,500 to play all four. Wiseman is averaging about 20-10 in his last two starts while shooting 76 percent. 

Jackson-Davis is firmly in the Warriors rotation, averaging north of 23 minutes per game over his last 12. He's averaging 11 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game during that run. 

If this is your last week, Banton is a good look for three games in five days, and is someone you could drop after Friday to free up a weekend spot. If you're in a category league, the efficiency — lack thereof — will hurt, but he's a stat sheet stuffer when Portland is short-handed, averaging about 17-5-3 and 1.5 stocks in his last 14 games. 

Four games, no back-to-backs, and no real reason to rest given where they are in the overall Hornets pecking order. 

Mann is (very) quietly averaging 12-5-5 with nearly two steals per game since being traded to Charlotte in early February, coincidentally, with Micic. He's closer to 14-5-5-2 on 51 percent shooting over his last six. 

Micic is averaging north of 15 points and five assists per game over his last 11, shooting over 50 percent from the field and 90 percent on free throws. Both are 33-34 percent from deep.

Active Drop Candidates: 

Won a title in spite of him, but as long as this is his minutes load, you can't trust him — and this week he has three games, not four like the last. He's averaging about 7-7 with less than a stock per game and just 18.5 minutes per contest in his last 13 games. Cut bait. 

No Quickley, no Barrett, still no production, just a whole lotta meh from the champ. 

After an initial surge following the move to Philly, he's at 10.5 points per game and down to about 39/37 shooting with generous rounding over his last 15 games. Can't even take advantage when they're short-handed right now.